Weekly debuts news-analysis webcast

Reporters, editors talk about Palo Alto news on 'Behind the Headlines'

Palo Alto Weekly Publisher Bill Johnson, from left, staff writers Gennady Sheyner and Elena Kadvany and Editor Jocelyn Dong record the new weekly news webcast, "Behind the Headlines," on Sept. 4, 2015, in the Weekly newsroom. Photo courtesy Palo Alto Online.

The Palo Alto Weekly has launched a new half-hour webcast, "Behind the Headlines." Every week, the reporters and editors of the Weekly, along with newsmakers, will discuss and analyze the latest Palo Alto news.

The webcast will be posted every Friday afternoon on PaloAltoOnline.com, the Weekly's news website, as well as at the Palo Alto Online YouTube channel.

"Over the years, we've heard plenty of feedback that people want to know what's really influencing the decision makers," said Bill Johnson, publisher of the Palo Alto Weekly. "This webcast is aimed at delivering to our readers everything our reporters know about what's going on behind the scenes."

The show will cover two to three topics each week, ranging from city and school issues to broader trends in the community, including business, neighborhoods and arts. Occasionally, city officials and others will appear as guests.

"By providing context and analysis, we hope to deepen the public's understanding of the issues that affect their lives," said Weekly Editor-in-Chief Jocelyn Dong, who is hosting the program. "It's focused on the story behind the story, as it were."

A preview show, posted on Aug. 28, covered the topics of minimum wage and airplane noise. The Sept. 4 webcast focused on police officers who patrol Palo Alto's secondary schools and the addition of 7.7 acres to Foothills Park. City staff member Daren Anderson was a guest on the Sept. 4 show.

"Behind the Headlines" is the newest digital product from the Palo Alto Weekly, which was founded in 1979 by Johnson. Its news and community website, PaloAltoOnline.com, offers Town Square, the online discussion forum; columns by a variety of local bloggers; news, real estate, arts and sports webpages, and more. Palo Alto Online also produces Express, a daily e-edition of news and events; and the brand-new Weekend Express, an email previewing things to do and places to go on the Midpeninsula each weekend.

Watch the latest webcast here.

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6 people like this

Posted by Jake
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 6, 2015 at 9:53 pm

The odd thing about this discussion about the incident at Jordan was that they didn't talk much about the actual incident. [Portion removed.]

It's really unfair to say the school resources officers mishandled this incident when we have so little information about the incident itself.

I wish the Weekly staff could have done some more digging to explain what happened. [Portion removed.]

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Posted by Jake
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 7, 2015 at 1:10 am

Mr. Censor, you cut the heart out of my posting about this incident at Jordan. Guess there are certain things that are too touchy to talk about. Here's an exact quote from the Weekly's story on this incident:

"On the second day of school, the two officers arrived at Jordan to "mediate a dispute" among three students, one of whom was afraid of another and did not want to go to school as a result, according to police spokesman Lt. Zach Perron."

The following is a verbatim quote from your YouTube show:

Bill Johnson: “We should probably mention, it was mentioned in your story, but not here, that one of the kids involved is African American. And I think the parent response has come from the parents of minority kids who have a concern that there is a bigger issue here that needs to be addressed."

Johnson continues: ". . . And of course the police were very quick to point out that one of the school resource officers is also African American and that race played no part in any of the actions or decisions that were made. But I think that made this a more emotional situation than this might of otherwise would have been."

So what happened between these three kids?

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Posted by Agenda
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 7, 2015 at 7:12 am

What incident at Jordan middle school? Did the weekly carry a story about it.

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Posted by Winter
a resident of Barron Park
on Sep 7, 2015 at 11:12 am

What a great idea, Weekly folks. I bet this will be popular - I know it will be in my household.

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Posted by Link and Records
a resident of Jordan Middle School
on Sep 7, 2015 at 11:32 am

@ Winter - The article with the Webcast has a link to the Jordan Middle School story.
However, the Jordan Middle School article does not have a link to the Webcast, so it's easy to miss related content.
It sounded like a parents organization wrote to the Board of Education or Superintendent. The PAUSD web site on Records Request only has documents up to March, 2015.

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Posted by Patricia
a resident of South of Midtown
on Sep 7, 2015 at 12:12 pm

I think it's fair to ask the Weekly what happened between these kids.[Portion removed.] How is this different from the bullying reports that became federal investigations in recent years? Why is this aspect of the story being swept under the rug? Is there a racial aspect to it?

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Weekly debuts news-analysis webcast

Reporters, editors talk about Palo Alto news on 'Behind the Headlines'

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